NUESTRO SENORA DE GUADALUPE DE ZUNI ORIGINAL PAINTING

11″ X 14″ NUESTRO SENORA DE GUADALUPE DE ZUNI oil in masonite board original painting and wall art. Established by Spain in 1629, the Zuni Mission Church on the Zuni Pueblo has had a long turbulent history. In 1540, Spanish conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado sacked the Zuni village of Hawikuh searching for gold. This set the stage for the enduring animosity and mistrust between the Spaniards and the Zuni. Zuni Pueblo was so far from Santa Fe that being assigned there was looked at as a punishment by the friars, rather than an opportunity. Priests were killed by the Zuni and the church was burned to the ground during several conflicts, including the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The church was rebuilt in 1700, but by 1824 the mission had no resident priest due to the remoteness of the pueblo and disinterest from the Zuni. Many Zuni were buried underneath the floor of the church, which is considered sacred ground and is not to be disturbed. These and many other factors led to a gradual decline of the structural integrity of the church that still plagues the mission to this day. The church is off limits to all outside visitors.